This cake also represents a spirit of manifest destiny for me. I vaguely remembered my mother owning a butane torch, back when crème brulee was en mode. After digging in all of her kitchen drawers, I finally found one. My dad helped me turn it on, because that’s what dad’s are for, and bob’s your uncle, I turned the glossy white frosting of my cake into a massive toasted marshmallow. It adds a delicious crunch and caramelized note to an otherwise simple cake. It also looks outrageously fabulous.
INGREDIENTS
4 oz butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
INGREDIENTS
4 oz butter
2 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 oz unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, loose
2 eggs
1/2 cup strong coffee
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
DIRECTIONS
2 eggs
1/2 cup strong coffee
2 cups all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup milk
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9 inch round pans.
Melt the chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly.
Cream together the sugar, butter and add the eggs one at a time until a pale yellow. Add the melted chocolate to the eggs mixture by pouring it in slowly while beating at medium speed. This is to ensure a smooth mixture, rather than scrambling the eggs.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Mix together the coffee, vinegar and the milk. It sounds weird but it curdles the milk slightly and gives it an extremely moist, rich texture. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients on low speed, ending on the wet ingredients.
Allow to cool completely.
Marshmallow Frosting (AKA Seven Minute Frosting)
INGREDIENTS
4 egg whites
3 cups baking sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1½ teaspoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
Place all ingredients, except for Vanilla, in a large double boiler over rapidly boiling water. Beat constantly with a hand mixer for 7 minutes. At this point it should be white and frothy. Remove the icing from heat and add the vanilla. Continue beating until the icing becomes shiny and spreadable.
If you don’t have a large double boiler, do it in two batches in a regular sized double boiler.
To ice the cake, put a large dollop in the middle of the bottom level cake and spread outward. The icing should be about ¾ inch thick and consistent throughout. Then gently place the other level of cake over the bottom level, careful not to push down (you don’t want to squeeze out the icing). Using the same method as before put a large dollop on the top of the cake and work your way out, spreading any excess to the sides. For aesthetics, try to spread the icing in a back and forth motion, creating ripples and peaks all over the cake. This improves the look of the cake if you intend on toasting it, as the torch will have more to cling to as you go over the cake. Always use what looks like an ungodly amount of icing. Better to have too much than use to little and accidentally scrape devil’s food cake into the white icing—I’ve been there, it sucks.
To toast, get your butane torch going (you can get these at any Kitchen store, such as here) and move it across the top of the cake, about 4 inches away, not staying on one spot for longer than 3 seconds.
Melt the chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly.
Cream together the sugar, butter and add the eggs one at a time until a pale yellow. Add the melted chocolate to the eggs mixture by pouring it in slowly while beating at medium speed. This is to ensure a smooth mixture, rather than scrambling the eggs.
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Mix together the coffee, vinegar and the milk. It sounds weird but it curdles the milk slightly and gives it an extremely moist, rich texture. Alternately add the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients on low speed, ending on the wet ingredients.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool completely.
Marshmallow Frosting (AKA Seven Minute Frosting)
INGREDIENTS
4 egg whites
3 cups baking sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons cold water
¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
1½ teaspoon corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
DIRECTIONS:
Place all ingredients, except for Vanilla, in a large double boiler over rapidly boiling water. Beat constantly with a hand mixer for 7 minutes. At this point it should be white and frothy. Remove the icing from heat and add the vanilla. Continue beating until the icing becomes shiny and spreadable.
If you don’t have a large double boiler, do it in two batches in a regular sized double boiler.
To ice the cake, put a large dollop in the middle of the bottom level cake and spread outward. The icing should be about ¾ inch thick and consistent throughout. Then gently place the other level of cake over the bottom level, careful not to push down (you don’t want to squeeze out the icing). Using the same method as before put a large dollop on the top of the cake and work your way out, spreading any excess to the sides. For aesthetics, try to spread the icing in a back and forth motion, creating ripples and peaks all over the cake. This improves the look of the cake if you intend on toasting it, as the torch will have more to cling to as you go over the cake. Always use what looks like an ungodly amount of icing. Better to have too much than use to little and accidentally scrape devil’s food cake into the white icing—I’ve been there, it sucks.
To toast, get your butane torch going (you can get these at any Kitchen store, such as here) and move it across the top of the cake, about 4 inches away, not staying on one spot for longer than 3 seconds.
Enjoy!
:.